Furnace-regulator.



C. H. STALKER.

FURNACE REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I6. I916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Patented May 28,

C. H. STALKER.

FURNACE REGULATOR.

APPLICATION man act. 16. 1916;

Patented May 28,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- cnnnronr 1:. STALKER, or ANN ARBOR, mronrenn, assrenon or can are c. J. HALL, PERSONALLY AND AS concerns, or enann RAPIDS, rcrcnronn.

FURNACE-REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 16, 1916. Serial No. 125,845.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLTON H. STALKER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ann Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F urnace-Regulators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an automatic damper or valve controlling device that can be advantageously used for automatically opening a damper of a furnace, a valve of the heating system, or actuating any device at a time predetermined relative to the setting of the device.

My invention aims to provide a controlling device that is particularly applicable as an accessory of a house heating system where the furnace or source of heat is located in a basement. As such, it permits of the dampers of the furnace being opened and closed at a point remote thereto. The opening of the dampers may be accomplished by manual release of certain mechanism of the device or may be automatically accomplished at predetermined times, and the closing of dampers is manually performed through the device with such manual actuation placing the device in condition to open the dampers, in either way, as mentioned above.

My invention further aims to combine a damper actuating mechanism with a clock mechanism so that the latter, which is somewhat upon the principle of an alarm clock, will release the former at a predetermined time, whereby the damper actuating mechanism will open one or more dampers. In

connection with a furnace, provision is made so that when a draft or flue damper is opened to increase the fire that a vent or bottom damperwill be closed, and vice versa.

With the above outlining some of the features of my invention, I further aim to provide a compact heat regulating device wherein the parts are constructed with a view of reducing the cost of manufacture and at the same time retain those features by which durability, simplicity of construction and ease of assembling are secured.

With such ends in view, my invention resides in the novel construction, combmation and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed. Reference will now be had to the drawmgs, wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device illustrating diagrammatically its connection with the dampers of a furnace;

Fig. is an enlarged front elevation of the devlce, with the casing removed, partly brolren away and partly in section;

Fig. 3 1s a vertical sectional View of the device;

of a brake setting member, showing the lat- A ter in a released position;

Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the brake setting member in a set position, and

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the device illustrating diagrammatically its connection with a diaphragm or control valve.

In describing my invention by aid of the views above referred to, I desire to point out that the same are intended as merely illustrative of the device as now in actual use, and I do not care to confine my invention to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown. The following description is therefore to be broadly construed as including substitute constructions and arrangement of parts which are the 0bvious equivalent of those to be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, 1 denotes a rectangular plate adapted to be secured to a Wall or suitable support. For instance, in a residence, the plate 1 may be connected to a hall wall, at a convenient place, and at such a point that the mechanism of the device can actuate dampers or valves of the furnace or heating system installed in the basement of the residence. The plate 1 is provided with ears 2 and hinged to said ears is a main frame 3 supporting a suitable casing 4, which incloses the main frame and the mechanism supported thereby. With the casing 4; carried by the hinged frame 3 the casing can be swung similar to adoor so that easy access can be had to the rear side of the frame 3 for winding and setting a. clock mechanism carried thereby. The

Patented May 28, 3918. l

clock mechanism is supported by the upper portion of the frame 3 and includes a dial 5, hands 6, winding arbor 7, a main spring 8, the usual train of gears and escapement 9, and alarm arbor 10 capable of being set, 2. released member 11 on the alarm arbor and pressed by a spring 12 whereby it will snap back at a predetermined time relative to a stop member 13 on said arbor, and besides these enumerated elements there are such devices as used in connection with the conventional form of clock mechanism.

The lower part of the main frame 3 supports a housing 14 for an auxiliary winding or setting arbor 15, a main spring 16, a train of gears 17, and a brake wheel 18, said main spring imparting motion to the train of gears and said brake wheel being driven thereby, as best shown in Fig. 3.

Suitably connected to the front wall 19 of the housing 14 is a resilient brake member 20 extending upwardly in front of the brake wheel 18. The upper end of the brake member 20 has a holder 21 for a brake block 22 adapted to frictionally engage the front face of the brake wheel 18 and hold said wheel normally stationary. The upper end of the brake member 20 terminates in a hookshaped portion 23 provided with a side lug 24. The hook-shaped portion 23 of said brake member is engaged by the lower end of the spring 12 and the side lug 24 is connected by a link 25 to the upper end of a manual release member 26. This member is fulcrumed or pivoted upon the outer end of a bracket 27, carried by the front wall 19 of the housing 14. The lower end of the manual release member 26 is forked or bifurcated, as at 28, and extends over the rectangular portion 29 of the auxiliary winding or setting arbor 17. Slidable on the rectangular portion 29 of said arbor and adapted for rotation therewith is the hub 30 of a finger piece or crank 31.

Fixed upon the arbor 15 for rotation therewith is a double pulley or drum 32 and interposed between the hub of said drum and the hub 30 is a coiled compression sprine 33, said spring holding the hub 30 normally extended relative to the forked or bifurcated end of the member 26. By pressing inwardly upon the finger piece or crank 31, the hub 30 impinges against the end of the member 26, thereby tilting said member, which through the medium of the link 25, pulls outwardly upon the resilient brake member 20 and releases the brake wheel 18. When the brake wheel 18 is released the arbor 15 is permitted to rotate the drum 32. This drum or double pulley has the rear face thereof provided with a lug 34 and this lug is adapted to engage 2. prong 35 protruding through an opening 36 in the front wall 19 of the housing 14. The prong haeaeei 35 is carried by the end of a cross head 37 fulcrumed upon the arbor 15 at the rear side of the housing wall 19. The head 37 has the opposite end thereof pivotally connected, as at 38, to the lower end of the brake setting member 39. This brake setting member extends upwardly through an opening 40 in the upper part of the housing wall 19. The upper end of the member 39 is adapted to engage the holder 21, as best shown in Fig. 6, and below this holder engaging end is a stepped or ofiset portion 41 adapted to engage the inner side of the housing wall 19 and fbrce the upper end of said member into engagement with the holder 21 of the brake member 20, whereby the brake block or shoe 22 will be held against the brake wheel 18.

Attached to the periphery of the drum 32 and trained thereover to move counterclockwis with said drum is a chain or cable 42 and attached to said drum and trained thereover to move clockwise with said drum is a chain or cable 43. These chains and cables are adapted to extend out of the bottom of the casing 4 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, and said chains or cables can be connected to the dampers of the furnace or to an operating lever of the controlvalve of the heating system.

To maintain the device in operative condition, the clock mechanism is wound and then the main spring 16 is wound by turning the arbor 15 counterclockwise through the medium of the finger piece or crank 31. Assuming that the lug 34 engages the upper side of the prong 35, and the brake setting member 39 is in a lowered position, then the arbor 15 can be rotated a complete revolution, thereby bringing the lug 34 into engagement with the under side of the prong 35, elevating the brake setting member 39 and causing the upper end of said member to hold the brake member 20 so that the brake block or shoe 22 holds the brake wheel stationary. When this wheel is held stationary, the spring 16 cannot rotate the arbor 15 and the drum 32. When winding up the device, the single counter clockwise movement of the arbor 15 and the drum 32 shuts the dampers of a furnace and maintains the fire, for instance, over night.

Assuming now that it is desired to increase the fire or start the furnace at an early hour in the morning, the casing 4 is swung to an open position and the alarm arbor 10 set at a desired hour. At this point of this explanation, it is well to note that 1 the resiliency of the brake member 20. al-

ways tends to hold the brake block or shoe 22 out of engagement with the brake wheel 18. So, when the alarm member 11 snaps into engagement with the stop member 13, the spring 12 releases the upper hooked portion 23 of the brake member 20 and said brake member releases the brake wheel 18, allowing the arbor 15 and the drum 32 to turn clockwise and thereby open or adjust the dampers of the furnace so that the fire mag burn up.

s the drum 32 turns clockwise, the lug 34 is again swun to the opposite side of the prong 35 of the cross head 37, thereby shifting said cross head and the brake setting member 39, to again place the brake block or shoe 22 in enga ment with the brake wheel 18. It is there ore only possible for the drum 32 to make one complete revolution, consequently the mechanism actuated by the spring 16 is prevented from unduly running down.

It is preferable to always keepthe mechanism wound, and any time during-the day it is desired to open the dampers of the furnace, it is only necessary to press inwardly upon the finger piece or the crank 31 and then the hub 30 will engage the manual release member 26 and pull outwardly upon the upper end of the brake member, thus allowing the spring 16 to revolve the drum 32 and open the damper a desired distance. It is apparent that by holding inwardly upon the finger piece or crank 31 that the mechanism may be allowed to completely open the dampers, or by simply pressing upon the finger piece or the crank and then quickly releasing the same, the dampers will be only partially opened.

I attach considerable importance to the fact that by slightly changing the spring or alarm member 12 of any alarm clock mechanism or using any clock mechanism having a release member, that the damper controlling mechanism can be used in connection therewith when the two mechanisms are properly installed.

What I claim as my invention is:-

1. In an automatic damper regulator, a clock mechanism havin a release member, a spring actuated drum, 0 ains attached thereto adapted for opening and closing the dampers, a brake controlling the operation of said drum governed by the release member of said clock mechanism, and means operatable in front of said drum for releasing said brake mechanism independently of the release member of said clock mechanism.

2. In an automatic damper regulator, a clock mechanism having a release member, a spring actuated drum, means attached thereto adapted for opening dampers, a brake wheel actuated in synchronism and in one direction with said drum, a brake noimally engaging said brake wheel and adapted to be released by the release member of said clock mechanism, spring winding means for the spring of said drum, and means actuated by an inward movement of said spring winding means adapted to release said brake independent of the release member of said clock mechanism.

3. In an automatic damper regulator, a clock mechanism having a release member, a spring actuated drum adapted to have the spring thereof wound up to\ rotate said drum, means attached to said drum adapted for simultaneously opening one damper and closing another damper, a brake controlling the operation of said drum in one direction, and adapted to be released by the release member of said clock mechanism, and means operatable in front of said drum adapted for a manual release of said brake.

4:. In an automatic damper regulator, a hinged casing, a clock mechanism in the upper part thereof having a releasemember, a s ring actuated drum in the lower part of sai casing, chains attached to said drum adapted for opening and closing dampers, means operatable outside of said casing for placing the spring of said drum under tension,"a brake holding said drum normally against rotation and adapted to be automatically released by the release member of said clock mechanism, and means operatable by said spring windin means adapted to release said brake in ependent of the release member of said clock mechanism.

5. In an automatic vdamper regulator, a clock mechanism having a release member, automatic damper controlling means, a brake for said damper controlling means holding said damper controlling means normally inactive, said brake disposed to be alltomatieally released by the release member of said clock mechanism, and means adapted for manually relasing said brake independent of the release member of said clock mechanism.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CARLTON H. STALKER.

Witnesses:

ANNA M. Donn, Esrrnnn M; BnNsoN. 

